In general, repairing a wooden table top or desk top that has been broken, cracked, or splintered, is done by gluing the pieces together and then forcing the two pieces together by means of a clamping arrangement, then, allowing the clamping arrangement to remain in place until a permanent bond is formed. The clamping arrangement generally consists of bar clamps or pipe clamps. These clamps are attached to the opposite edges of the object to be repaired, either a table or desk top, covering the repaired portion. By adjusting the clamping arrangement properly, pressure can be exerted on the glued area, allowing a proper bond to form between the two pieces of wood or other related materials. The clamps are generally approximately three-fourth inch pipe clamps, but can be one-half inch pipe clamps, and have the capability of being adjusted in such a manner that they affect the broken pieces with force, holding the glued, separated pieces together, allowing them to form a permanent bond. The process generally takes about twenty four hours of such pressure.
This general application works very well for objects which are shaped in either square or rectangle form. This is true, no matter how large the object is, since the only impediment is the length of the pipe which holds the clamp ends. For extra long or wide tables or desk, two or more such pipe clamps or bar clamps can be placed side by side, without much difficulty. Each pipe clamp or bar clamp can maintain constant pressure, once the clamps have been properly adjusted on the object being repaired, for the entire period required by the instructions which appear in the directions that are printed on the glue container. The glue can be any commercially available glue, designated for such purposes.
A problem occurs, however, where the shape of the object top to be repaired is round or oval in shape. This creates a difficult situation when trying to use more than one clamping arrangement is needed to secure additional pressure points, at other locations around the object's circumference. These additional clamps slip off the circumference of the object being repaired, when needed pressure is applied, due to the inability of the clamps to stay in position on the curved circumference. Constant pressure is not attainable to complete a permenent bonded glue joint.
The present invention has solved this problem by using a product of manufacture called a multipoint clamping jig. This jig consists of a stationary round base with U shaped indentations around the outside rim, into which the pipe clamps are seated, making multiple pressure points available around the inside circumference of the multipoint clamping jig rim. By using this invention, the pipe clamps are then applying direct straight line pressure from the inside rim of the multipoint clamping jig to the outside circumference of the object top being repaired. This straight line clamping pressure eliminates any and all clamp slippage around the object's circumference, when clamps are tightened for needed constant pressure to complete a permanant glue bond.
The stationary base is round, allowing the pipe clamps to be placed uniformly around the object, table or desk top. By using this invention, along with commercially available glue, table tops and desk tops which have round or oval shapes can be easily repaired.
Prior to this invention, it was necessary to cut wooden glue blocks to match the circumference or shape of the object to be repaired, but have a square edge on the opposite side of the blocks, onto which the bar or pipe clamps could be attached. Then one had to attach the commercially available pipe clamp to the square edge of the glue blocks, to obtain the proper clamping base. This system failed many times because the clamp pressure, when applied would cause block slippage around the curved circumference of the object top being repaired, causing a poor glue bond making the repair job a failure.
The present invention solves this problem, since the base of the jig contains U-shaped indentations around its outer rim, which allows one end of the pipe clamp to be seated into that base rim, supplying multiple positions for direct clamping pressure to the outer circumference edge of the object to be repaired. Using this invention, one is able to maintain constant pressure, on multiple locations around any size circumference without any slippage at the pressure points when the clamps are adjusted to the needed pressure for proper glue joint bonding. There is no loosening due to clamp slippage. This makes a successful job.